Parks shutting down rides after accident

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 22 (UPI) -- Six Flags, which operates amusement parks across the United States, has shut down rides similar to the one on which a girl's feet were severed in Kentucky.

Intamin Ltd., the Maryland company that manufactured the Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, notified other parks of the accident, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

On Thursday, a 13-year-old girl had both feet cut off at the ankle while she was on the ride. The ride has been shut down and inspectors from the state Department of Agriculture's Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection were trying to determine the cause.

Carolyn McLean, a spokeswoman for the park, said that the Tower of Power, formerly known as the Hellevator, opened in 1995. She said that Thursday's accident was the first major one on the ride.